Spectrum Theatre Company, a Sheffield-based acting group which contains both autistic and neurotypical members, has launched its Christmas show for this year.
Following the sell-out success of last year’s version of A Christmas Carol, this time they have gone for an original work, a musical entitled Sterling Silver, which is set in Sheffield almost a century ago and tells the story of how buffer girl, Lizzie, and Daniel, heir to Thornton’s cutlery, fall for each other at a time when such things aren’t supposed to happen.” Yes, it’s a love story,’ says author and director Andy Gardiner, ‘but we hope it’s more than that. It’s set in a time when the world was supposed to be changing, but when the workers still had to grind out a living, some of them literally in Sheffield! It’s a celebration of them and their city.’
Andy has co-written eight original songs for the production with Ben Barker, a musician with Sheffield 70s band Xero, who has created a vibrant soundtrack for the cast of 30, half of whom are on the autism spectrum.
Andy, who is also co-ordinator for the group, which was founded in 2016, adds: “We’re a truly integrated group and we feel we all benefit from that. We’re delighted that audiences comment on the quality of what we do. Our signature show about Autism, ‘In Someone Else’s Shoes”, which we’ve performed to a range of audiences in Sheffield, makes a plea for us all to try to see things as others see them- a first step towards a society more accepting of difference.’
Sterling Silver takes place at the Library Theatre, Tudor Square, Sheffield, on Monday 10, Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 December at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 or £6 for under-18s and are available from Sheffield Theatres box office (telephone 0114 249 6000) or online at https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk through the ‘What’s On’ tab.
